What causes malevolent creative people to engage in malevolent behaviors? Mediating role of moral disengagement and moderating effects of conscience

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between the malevolent creativity potential (MC potential) and malevolent creative behavior (MC behavior) in college students, as well as the impact of moral disengagement and conscience on that relationship. A sample of 540 college students was surveyed by using the Malevolent Creative Problem-task, Moral Disengagement Scale, Adolescent Conscience Questionnaire, and MC Behavior Scale. The results indicate that MC potential was positively associated with students' MC behavior, and moral disengagement mediated the relationship between MC potential and MC behavior. In addition, conscience moderated the second stage of the mediation of moral disengagement in the link between MC potential and MC behavior. These findings suggest that improving college students' morality and conscience has a positive effect on reducing their MC behaviors.